Valorant First Strike series to be first official tournament hosted by Riot Games

Since the launch of Valorant earlier this year, Riot Games have relied upon third party esports organisations to host successful Valorant tournament. The Valorant Ignition Series, which was hosted by third party organisers in partnership with Riot, has arguably been one of the most popular events in 2020. It can largely be credited for the success of Valorant in a short span of time. 

Starting October, however, Riot Games will take control of Valorant esports scene. The developers announced on Wednesday that the company will be organising the official Valorant tournament, called the First Strike Valorant. 

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Riot Games' inaugural Valorant First Strike start date, details

The Valorant First Strike will be a series of events that will feature competitions across all the major regions like North America, Europe, Latin America, Asiam, CIS and Middle East. While the official dates for the competitions are yet to be announced, the developers stated that each competition will start with qualifiers that will culminate with an eight-team main event that will be played in December. Each region will host a series of merit-based qualifiers, starting October. The qualifiers will be open to all players and will still be hosted by other esports organisations.

The final eight teams from each region will qualify for Riot Games' inaugural Valorant First Strike event, which will be played from December 3 to 6. The regional champs of the inaugural Valorant First Strike event will be crowned during the event. Valorant says the respective regional champs will also earn the right to call themselves "the first official regional Valorant champions." However, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is highly unlikely that Riot will organise a short tournament to crown the global champions in 2020. The same can be expected to be introduced next year. 

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"Valorant is a deeply competitive title with global appeal and the necessary elements to become the next premier esport,” Whalen Rozelle, senior director of esports at Riot Games, said in Wednesday's press release. “First Strike will provide our thriving competitive ecosystem with the platform to showcase their greatness, build regional legacy, and a foundation that will support the esport for years to come.”

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(Image Credits: Valorant Twitter)